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As someone who reports on good news, I& #39;m seeing a lot of people tagging me in stories of a number of police officers and chiefs doing good things over the last few days. Kneeling, having humane conversations, talking honestly about the problem.
This is complicated.
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This is complicated.
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First I& #39;ll say that all truly good news is nuanced. It& #39;s messy.
At @goodgoodgood we focus on "real good" not "feel good".
This particular good news is truly good. But if we celebrate it & pretend like it& #39;s the best that can be done, we have a new problem.
This is just a start.
At @goodgoodgood we focus on "real good" not "feel good".
This particular good news is truly good. But if we celebrate it & pretend like it& #39;s the best that can be done, we have a new problem.
This is just a start.
The reason this is genuinely good news:
This is absolutely how police should behave. Officers should be a part of their communities, listening empathetically, not wearing riot gear, and willing to acknowledge problems. They should be the first to apologize for one of their own.
This is absolutely how police should behave. Officers should be a part of their communities, listening empathetically, not wearing riot gear, and willing to acknowledge problems. They should be the first to apologize for one of their own.
The reason highlighting these stories is problematic:
What happened to George Floyd isn& #39;t because of one bad cop. Or 4 bad cops.
What happened to George Floyd and countless other people of color is the result of systemic problems with policing and the criminal justice system.
What happened to George Floyd isn& #39;t because of one bad cop. Or 4 bad cops.
What happened to George Floyd and countless other people of color is the result of systemic problems with policing and the criminal justice system.
In almost every community in the country, there& #39;s nothing to stop the "good cops" we& #39;re seeing in photo-ops from doing what Derek Chauvin did to George Floyd and getting away without accountability for days or forever.
There& #39;s nothing systemic holding them to a higher standard
There& #39;s nothing systemic holding them to a higher standard
The system enabled this. The system was built to create this kind of result. And a few good people in a big system won& #39;t solve the problem. The system has to change. We have to dismantle it.
Good cops should absolutely be taking the positive, empathetic and uplifting actions they& #39;ve been taking in recent days. But if they& #39;re not actively fighting for systemic change and increased accountability for themselves and their peers — their actions are empty and meaningless.
Sure, go ahead and celebrate these good news stories as you see them if they stand out to you. But please ensure you include the caveat that if an officer or police force stop there, it was empty.
This is step one. This is the bare minimum.
This is step one. This is the bare minimum.
If you want to hold your police accountable to real, tangible change:
→ Donate to http://joincampaignzero.org"> http://joincampaignzero.org
→ Educate yourself by reading articles curated here: http://themarshallproject.org/records/462-police-accountability
→">https://themarshallproject.org/records/4... Listen to local organizers, thoughtfully vote for local offices, and call your reps often
→ Donate to http://joincampaignzero.org"> http://joincampaignzero.org
→ Educate yourself by reading articles curated here: http://themarshallproject.org/records/462-police-accountability
→">https://themarshallproject.org/records/4... Listen to local organizers, thoughtfully vote for local offices, and call your reps often
